Terms and Conditions
by Starysky205
Summary: Nico just wanted to prove he could make good, responsible, choices when it came to his love life… if he wanted. Leo had nothing better to do than 'help a bro out'. Only pretending to be in love with each other happens to be worringly easy. (Re-writing as we speak)
1. Exposition

Trying to maintain chapter titles, but I will change something if it doesn't fit anymore.

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1\. Exposition

There is this odd, annoying really, aspect to anger that clouds our minds and loosens our tongues; or, to put it simple, anger makes us say and do stupid shit.

So here is Nico, sitting at a coffee shop, surrounded by most of his maybe friends, two weeks from the holydays, trying to convince one of them to pretend to date him, all because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. It started, oddly enough, with Persephone.

After the whole Will fiasco, and the discoveries its aftermath brought, Nico's step-mom had gotten into her head that Nico couldn't make good relationship choices… ok, so maybe there was more to it than just that, but Nico refused to disclose.

The problem was, not that his friends were against the idea, well, they kind of were but they were still willing to help; but rather, the fact that none of them could actually help. Jason is going with Piper to LA for the holydays, and Reyna is a girl; and everyone else in the table wasn't an option because Nico's family was aware of their current status.

He's two minutes away from laying his head on the table as is the usual sign of defeat, when in comes Leo Valdez, slumping into the table, unaware of the fact that the entire table of 8 has their attention on him.

It's been almost a year since the last time they've been together, Nico's visited the shop a few times, first when his stove broke, and recently when his car did; but they haven't actually talked past the usual conversation that would take place in such events, and passing comments about Hazel. Nico can't really tell which of them is avoiding the other, or if maybe it's both of them; things had ended rather awkwardly after all.

"Hey, I have bad news"

Jason gives Nico a pointed look, which Nico didn't want to acknowledge, because what Jason was suggesting was literally the worst idea. He shifts in his seat though, because Leo is actually looking him in the eyes, and that's… it's been a while since he's done that.

"What's wrong?"

Leo lets out a sigh, brushing a hand through the back of his hair.

"The shop got flooded during the storm last night, everything's been delayed a week, and since we need the money, I can't refund you"

Then he puts his hand on the table, fingers tapping a pattern against the wood, too fast to make out.

"But, like, if there's any way for me to make it up to you sans money…"

There's rapid head movement between the two of them, like they're playing a tennis match, only Nico doesn't think anyone in the group would be good at tennis, except maybe Reyna because she's Reyna. And it's a terrible idea, really, particularly with how things are between them, but on the other hand…

On the other hand, Nico's three parts desperate, and one part in need of his car to even go home for the holydays; and he can't take a random person because they'd be found out in two minutes flat, and then he would have to deal with the fact that he tried to trick most of his family. So he sends a quick prayer to whatever higher power is out there, and bites the bullet that's been given to him.

"Actually…"


	2. Perspective

They cuss a lot actually, but since most of the words are changed to fit the Greek pantheon and other religion related stuff, it doesn't feel like it.

This got a little away from me, I apologize.

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2\. Perspective

Leo had an extremely odd day, filled with more complications than solutions, and though he tends to misfortune, he's more used to getting it in sparse but heavy doses; not this series of small events bullshit. So, when Nico explains that he wants him to pretend to be in love with him, his brain is like 'you know what, this might as well happen'.

They have been avoiding each other since that new year's party where Leo finally set the record straight about one out of many things he didn't like thinking about. It's nothing personal, really, Leo's just been incredibly busy, what with the fact that he's finally making some progress, finally got enough money to rent a studio, and used most of his free time to work on The Project, which he's had since he finished college.

So avoiding Nico? Totally unplanned, nothing to do with anything that happened, because nothing had happened, no sire.

But like, he does owe Nico, even if the flood was out of his power to stop; he could find a way to still get the car ready by the promised time, but he's trying to keep this job. So he agrees, like the fool he is; and he convinces himself that there's enough time to work out a plan, and prepare himself for meeting Nico's complicated family.

So he gives Nico the direction to his studio, where Leo's going to spend his time until everything is cleaned up and checked over at the shop. And they come up with a general plan, where they'll spend some time making sure they know everything they ought to, and put all the lines and boundaries exactly where they have to be; like agreeing on tapping the other in the hand if PDA was required, something short and simple.

It's a little weird, and both Reyna and Piper decide to play mediators between them so they won't bullshit the other; but then the shop's ready to be worked on, and Leo gets swooped into helping get things back on track, saving all the extra time to get Nico's car ready for when the need to leave. Nico, who was apparently nowhere near kidding when he said Leo was his only hope, comes visit him, never saying a thing about the fact that Leo is working even on his breaks.

And the familiarity of seeing Nico in his chair - which Leo never moved, for whatever reason -, looking at Leo for help, is kind of startling. It makes Leo realize with a start that he's known everything he needed for a while, that he's paid so much attention to Nico in the short moments they've spent together; because just as Nico doesn't question Leo working on his breaks, Leo doesn't question Nico going fully silent and detached, and because they know each other too well.

He doesn't say it, because he knows it would come out as a joke, and he doesn't want to ruin the fragile peace between them; but he likes to think they're close, that they're actual friends and not just connected by the people they surround themselves with. He thinks though, that even if he doesn't say it, Nico knows this too.

Time passes, like it always does, and finds them sitting on a fixed car, suitcases packed, plans laid; and the sound of old songs in English coming from the radio, from a CD Leo poured a lot of work into, mind you. Nico has a calm look to him, as he taps his fingers to Sinatra, because Leo knows him too well; so he thinks his pride over the CD is justified.

Time moves different on the road, or maybe it's an illusion caused by their own movement with the car. Leo taps a quick Morse line on the windshield, in the juncture where the glass sinks when it opens; and time passes.


	3. Exhaustion

I feel the need to read a bunch of fics with the 'fake dating' prop, if only to make this actually readable, but like, which ones?

I want to retain what I could of the original, but I also want to make different. I don't know how well it's working.

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3\. Exhaustion

Nico's family is ridiculous, in the sense that their property makes up for the space of a small town; a small town complete with separate houses for the different members, and the one summer home for that one cousin who Nico's only even seen in passing. Apparently, and according to his step-mom, this is because cousin Eris cannot stay still for two minutes.

It's not the first time Leo's been there, but he still gets that one look on his face, the one everyone who sees it for the first time gets; everyone being Percy and Will, because Reyna had apparently researched him before Nico invited her that first time. Only, unlike Will or Reyna who had actually been invited, or Percy who was more of a huge miss-understanding; Leo has come here plenty of times, so it's ridiculous.

He would usually call him out on it, but this time he's also distracted, mainly due to the plan; the atmosphere lacks whatever it was charged with when Nico took Will there, while also being completely different from Reyna's turn.

He parks the car and Leo gives him a reassuring, albeit tired smile, before they have to both get out and get their things out.

With the help of one of Nico's many cousins, they get everything inside Nico's bedroom, and are allowed to remain there for the rest of the day to rest up after the trip, an opportunity they don't take lightly, and after unpacking everything they drop into the king-sized bed and out like lights; they can discuss sharing a bed when they haven't drove a gazillion kilometers in turns.

It makes things awkward in the morning, where Nico spends an entire minute not only to make sense of why there's someone else on his bed, but also the fact that it's Leo Valdez, of all people. This is a process slowed down from fatigue, and also really warm; but he can't let Leo wake up, or he would have to face the music, and Nico is too tired for that.

So he slips out of bed with practiced ease and pretends not to care about the difference in temperature as he gets a change of clothes and heads for his bathroom, locking the door behind him.

\- ... .. ... / ..-. .. - ... / - ... . / ... ... .. .-.

Leo wakes up to the sound of rushing water and a sudden surge of heat, which is weird because his temperature is generally a constant thing, but he swears it had been lower at one point during the night. He shrugs and stretches in the empty bed, helping himself wake up a little more before looking in his suitcase for a change of clothes, Nico is using the bedroom conjoined bathroom, but Leo knows there's more outside.

It's just his luck, really, that he crosses ways with one of Nico's older cousins. The woman looks more closely related to Hazel, considering her skin tone, and it takes Leo a moment of staring at impossibly amber eyes to realize who she is.

See one of the main reasons Leo had met Hazel, and by association Nico, was that, back when they were kids, Percy and Jason realized that hey, everyone they surrounded themselves with had at least one family member with a Greek mythology name; and that was enough to warrant, not only a quick friendship, but various failed attempts at getting everyone in a club of sorts, and the rest is history. So Leo recognizes Styx, which shouldn't be hard considering the dark skin and hair contrasting her light-colored eyes.

She raises an eyebrow at him, he waves at her with his free hand and promptly finishes his trek to the bathroom, far too exhausted to say anything, and reminding himself that Nico and him have a plan for introductions. It takes him a bit to figure out how the shower works, because apparently they prefer those faucets that you have to lift and move side to side, with a bicolored circle to show which side is which; Leo is, again, way too exhausted to do anything other than go with it.


	4. Realization

I felt like Persephone's original take on things was ok as it was, because her stance hasn't changed at all with the addition of 'Results May Vary'. So you can start reading after the Morse line, not that it's changed that much.

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4\. Realization

When Nico had told her that he would take someone with him for the holydays, it was different than the last time; last time he had sounded unsure, as if testing the words before saying them, and when Persephone saw him with Will she knew why that was so. This time though, there had been something else in his tone, something angry, but something sure.

Nico had seemed to go through the motions with Will, unused to relationships, or even people liking him the way Will clearly did; Persephone felt it wouldn't last, but gave her step-son the benefit of doubt, believing he would eventually realize it himself, but then the break-up happened. She was surprised, however, when she saw who exactly Nico had brought along.

Leo Valdez was no stranger to Persephone, having been a good friend to Hazel for such a long time; and if she allowed herself to think about it, it made a lot of sense that it would be him that Nico had been talking about. The boy was different, though not just because of the time passed since she last saw him; no, Leo was different in how he held himself just then.

A soft smile on his features, body relaxed and slightly curved towards Nico as the couple entered the room midlist a hushed conversation; both things were uncommon of Leo, but he wasn't the only one. When Nico had been dating Will there had been a constant battle over what his face would be like, clearly from trying to fit the expectations his aesthetic usually brought; with Leo there was none of that, instead Nico had a calm look to him as he contributed with a few words here and there, which Leo seemed perfectly ok with.

It was clear that they were comfortable with each other, allowing themselves to be in the presence of the other; Leo tapped a precise pattern against his leg as Nico gave him a sarcastic response, smile widening slightly.

\- -.- / -.- - ..- / -.-. .- -. / .-. . .- -.. / -. - .-

Leo is a welcome comfort when dealing with his family without Hazel to act as filter, as Nico's sister will join them later, together with Frank. It's a good thing Hazel already knows Nico and Leo are faking it, because Nico is sure he wouldn't be able to fool her.

They had agreed to keep close, with soft touches that are greed on during silent eye contact, and feel oddly familiar in their nature.

Nico finds himself glad that Leo was the one he ended up doing this with, something secure in the thought, because Leo knows him maybe better than anyone whose name doesn't send him spiraling. And he'll be even more thankful for the boy when they do visit _her_ , because Leo understands better than anyone else too.

He watches his fake boyfriend get involved into an oddly chipper discussion about treading with fire, trading anecdotes of visible burns, with Pyra; and is it weird that Nico already knows about said burns? Like, Leo doesn't hide his skin, so Nico's seen him in nothing but swimsuits, but like, he hadn't realized he was actually paying attention.

He doesn't know what to do with his knowledge, leaning slightly closer to Leo as he re-tells the story of the one that covers most of his leg; the Latino shifts slightly so Nico isn't pressing against his bones, but makes no further movement to pry him away.

It's weird, in context, the fact that he's brought Leo to introduce him to his family when they already know him thanks to Hazel; like, if this was real, Nico would still feel awkward about this interaction, he's sure. But a lot of other things would be different if this was real, he knows, because the way they've agreed to act is nowhere close to how he acted around Will; granted, he gave up a lot of his boundaries for Will.

Nico tries really hard not to think about how different it would be to actually have a relationship with Leo; the inability to pry his eyes away from the mechanic, magnetized to his mannerisms, and his different smiles, are not unknown to Nico. Neither is the very soft feeling he has when he watches Leo tap his pattern onto the table with the hand furthest from where they're almost connected; the almost electricity but not quite that he now feels taking over the small distance between them? That's new, and Nico isn't sure what it means.


	5. Memory

Phlegethon might be a good name for a fire river, but since this is a human au, I named her Pyra; also turned her into a she, bc I possess that kind of power. On a similar line, Acheron received the name of Karen (but that one has to do with pronunciation, while Pyra is just fire in Greek); and Cocytus Trinidad because θρινα (thrina) means 'lament' in common day Greek and Κοκυτος (Kokitos) means 'lamentation' in ancient Greek.

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5\. Memory

The day is spent mostly hanging around the property, something that had been a lot of fun back when they were kids, and Leo remembers this fondly given the way his voice softens as he tells Nico a bunch of anecdotes he had with Hazel; and it's surprising, that he can learn things about his sister this late into their lives. It serves as a reminder that Leo is actually Hazel's oldest friend; of course she would've turned to him when in need for help.

It didn't explain how Leo had found him, Nico thought about this probably more than was healthy, but he couldn't help it. It put things in perspective, even with Leo claiming he hadn't wanted it to change anything; because a lot of the things Leo's done, or said to Nico, make a lot more sense when he adds this particular fact to the context.

He tries to shove the thought far back into his head, instead concentrating on telling Leo about his own childhood memories. Partly because they're supposed to seem close if they don't want to raise suspicion, mostly because of the soft expression that settles on Leo's face; but that's also something Nico would rather not think about.

He does wonder what things would've been like if he had never gone to Leo the first time Will and him didn't see eye to eye; would he have broken up with Will sooner? Or would've he have gone back to him and just, unmade himself in a fit not to lose the other?

But he did go, he'd gone because it had only seemed to make sense back then. When did that start anyway? When did Leo's little area at the repair shop become his safe heaven? It wasn't- it was…

Nico remembered the cemetery and the words that were exchanged there, of course he remembered; the overcast sky, the tired grimace trying to pass off as a smile, the gentle words, fingers tapping a rhythm Nico hadn't realized he memorized, one Leo used like a lifeline, one Nico could've easily imitated if he had to.

 _"I won't tell if you don't"_

Eyes heavy with sadness and a level of understanding that had shaken him to the core, so Nico had kept the entire interaction a well-guarded secret; perhaps too well so if it had taken this to bring it back into his memory. And Leo had left it unspoken as well, because otherwise Nico would have remembered sooner, coaxed by lilted tones he's become fond of despite himself.

But that instance had been enough to build a connection between them, one made of trust and something else, something unspeakable, fragile, and valuable as nothing else, something that has Nico leaning just slightly closer suddenly greed for what he dares not name; something he's known to only destroy him in the past, and yet he would gladly take that destruction to make it a reality.

It's with that thought that he once again pushes the memory of the graveyard back where it's safe, and drowns in the pretense he's insisted on creating for himself; and he's hit with the sudden clarity that this could be his, but he's turned it into a lie.

\- - .-. ... ./-.-. - -.. ./.- .../.-.. .. -. ./ -... .-. . .- -.- ...

Being that Leo was friends with Hazel, there were no 'how did you meet?' questions, there were however the 'how long have you been a thing?' ones; which Leo had first answered by turning to Nico with his best confused look despite having agreed on an answer and repeating the question while stressing it differently, which caused Nico to actually legit snort, so he figured it was worth it.

Unsurprisingly the hardest question came from the lady of the house, Nico's step mother, Persephone.

"How did you realize you liked my boy Leo?"

The Latino drummed his fingers against the table as he hummed.

"It was a gradual thing I guess, we kept finding ourselves spending time together and just… clicked; but I've always found him attractive"

Styx leaned forward, resting her elbows in the table.  
"Did you now?"

Leo feels familiar eyes on him, and knows that this is perhaps saying too much, because they hadn't planned on this, but he smiles regardless and allows himself a little honesty.

"Oh man, he was like, eerily pretty, not that he isn't still beautiful, but he's less of a porcelain figure now; still has baby bat wings for hair though"

Pyra, who is Styx's wife if Leo remembers correctly, directs him the kind of smile that has him shifting a little more than normal.

"Is it as soft as it looks?"

"Yes"

Leo surprises himself because that answer isn't made up either, and he's hit with the realization that yeah, he's had his hands on Nico's hair, and that's something they'll both have to live with. He feels Nico bump into him, and looks to see the Italian flustered and his oldest cousin, Karen, smirking at both of them; Leo makes his voice low so only Nico will hear him.

"You ok?"

Nico nods briefly against him, which Leo is only aware of due to feeling it happen, and the Latino directs his attention back to the people at the table as Trinidad jumps in with an anecdote about her own first encounter with her SO; which makes her Leo's favorite to be perfectly honest, because she drags all the attention away from Nico and himself.


	6. Revelation

My biggest flaw as a writer is how stubborn I am, but it is also my only redeeming quality.

I loved this chapter, ok? Like, generally I'm better at showing romance differently, so scenes like these are always awkward; but this one felt good then, and feels even better now that there's context.

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6\. Revelation

Leo Valdez has had an extended array of love attempts gone wrong, whether they got off into actual relationships or not, so he liked to believe it fair for him to be deciding what the worst way to find out feelings was; and the worst way to do such a thing was in the middle of an all-out snowball war, including the many aunts and uncles closer to their age, Nico's three cousins, Pyra, Charon and Thanatos - whom Leo had trouble placing in the family tree -, and the recently arrived Hazel and Frank.

How the good majority of Nico's extended family got them to join a snow-ball war, he'd never know, but that's what they were doing, and so Leo was going to do his best to win. So he had pulled all the tricks he knew, and was making good work of achieving his goal when he crosses paths with his fake boyfriend.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Nico smile that widely, only he could, had stored that moment away in his head, where no one could pry it from him; but it had nothing on the image in front of him now; onyx eyes bright with mirth, face flushed from the cold, hair an absolute mess, and that breathtaking smile he hadn't seen in what felt like a decade. And Leo, who was way too well acquaintanced with how a crush felt, found himself near bursting up in flames, before he was knocked to the floor with a snowball and rare laughter.

"Oh my god"

Leo simply laid there, staring at the sky, trying to come back down from whatever high he just hit, but the sun is blocked, and there's Nico, looking at him in amused worry.

"Are you ok?"

So he does the only thing one should do in such a situation, he pulls Nico into the snow with him, and laughs freely when he's coaxed into a mock fight for dominance; he wins but Nico is still smiling brightly, and Leo is a fool, a fool who manages to remind himself to tap his fingers against Nico's wrist before he leans down to kiss him.

The worst way to finding out that you want something real with someone, is when you're kissing them in the ground, with the good majority of their family watching, because the two of you decided to play pretend; because Leo can't take it back, and he knows how it'll look like to Nico.

-.. .. -.. / -.- - ..- / .-.. .. -.- . / - ... .- - ..-..

He's been trying to push this feeling back, ever since that night during new year's eve where Leo was bathed in moonlight, and maybe even longer than that. So Nico hates the kiss, hates it because he doesn't, because the world slows down, and warmth fills him as electricity runs through his body, starting from the point where his lips are connected to Leo's; and he wants to cry because he felt the tapping the agreed on doing, and because it doesn't mean shit.

Only to Nico it does, it means everything, and his heart is breaking apart as Leo pulls back with a grin Nico hasn't seen in decades, and he has to fake to match him as he's pulled to his feet. He searches for Hazel with his eyes and meets a positive response to his silent request to talk alone, because she strides to them smiling.

"Mind if I steal my brother from you?"

Leo smiles back at her dropping Nico's hand in order to give her a mock bow.

"Don't let me stop you"

Hazel chuckles and Nico can't help the way his lips tug into a smile, but he can hide his face from Leo by taking his sister's arm and coaxing her into walking towards the house; he hears Leo turning to Frank, before they're through the door and the sound outside stops reaching them.

Once there's no eyes or ears on them, Nico faces his sister, who looks understandably worried.

"Hazel I fucked up"

Hazel frowns at him, nose scrunching upwards and eyebrows knitting together.

"What did you do?"

Nico loves his sister, he really does; he also thinks her tone is fair because he has a record of doing stupid shit.

"I think I might be in love with Leo"

Hazel looks absolutely shocked for all of a minute, before she lets out a long sigh and puts her hands together.

"Ok, please explain"

Nico takes a deep breath, and then he starts talking, how he ran from Will that first time only to find himself at Leo's shop, how Leo's advice had helped so much going back there just seemed like the smarter option, but it had still felt like something he should hide. He doesn't talk about the cemetery, or rather, not about the first visit, he does tell her about asking Leo's mom to pass a message to Bianca; he doesn't tell her that he suspects he's the reason Calypso broke up with Leo, and there's a twisted part of him that was almost glad for it, because it made them equal.

He's not sure how much Hazel actually gets from what he says, considering he's probably rambling, because now that he's started talking about it, he can't really stop himself; but he hopes she gets enough to help, because he could definitely use some. Instead, when he looks back to her waiting for a response, Hazel gives him her best deadpan face.

"You're a fool"

And Nico, who feels like he's just unloaded a year's worth of repressed pinning, can only agree.


	7. Intermission

I thought of including this part in Results May Vary, but I liked it better here; the moment is alluded to by Leo though.

* * *

7\. Intermission

It had been a quiet day, stilled with the heavy promise of an oncoming storm, sky fully covered by gray clouds, a cold but soft breeze being the worst of it for now. It was a coincidence, really, that they met in between rows of stone and silence; fate twirling its strings around to create the right place and the right time.

Close enough to notice the other, yet far enough that they didn't question it. Eyes meeting by chance alone, an indescribable kind of connection, and an infinite monotony broken like glass.

"What are you doing here?"

He raises the make-shift bouquet of flowers in his hands like a peace offering, onyx eyes softening vastly and mouth mouthing a silent recognition to the motion.

"You too?"

His answer is a sigh and footsteps crossing the distance between them, he likes to remember that detail particularly; that it was _him_ who made the first move. Eyes grazing briefly over the carved letters he's facing.

"Family of yours?"

He tries a smile, seeing if he can fall back to his usual façade, but it comes as a grimace and he's far too aware.

"Yeah, the only one I had"

His fingers run against his arms by instinct, but it only makes sense that they do, because he can't seem to keep them still, not even now. He feels eyes on him, and glances to find an expression he's new to, one he doesn't know what to do with; so he deflects.

"Yours?"

There's a pause where he wonders if perhaps he should've kept to himself, risk the offense, if only so the playing field were even, but then…

"A friend"

Leo doesn't know how to respond, or he does but knows firsthand how empty the words suited for these kind of thing sound from people who know nothing about those gone too soon; instead he offers an out.

"I won't tell if you don't"

It also serves as a promise.

.- .- ... / - ... .- - / -. - - -.. ..-..

If Hazel really thought about it, like, sat down and considered everything she'd seen and known; it made a lot of sense that Nico would end up seeking Leo when he needed time. It gave her a strong sense of comfort, knowing he hadn't been alone, that he'd known to keep himself around someone else; and knowing that someone was Leo, who would know to keep an eye on him, was even more so.

But it also made her reconsider Will, because what did it say about him that Nico needed time so often? And what did it say about her that, not only had she not noticed her brother's struggles, but that Nico hadn't felt safe going to her?

Nico had begun looking healthier since he started dating Will, like a glimpse to the boy he was way back when; would have Hazel even believed him? Would she have been able to help the way Leo clearly had?

Nico had changed a lot since the breakup, but not the way one would expect from such an occurrence; in fact, up to the whole pretending to have a new boyfriend stunt, he had seemed… free. As though something had been weighting him down, but he'd managed to pry it away before it could crush him; as though he was better, in a way.

That freedom was particularly noticeable now, as Hazel watched him interacting with Leo, knowing what she did; and it was easy to see the difference between the way her brother acted around Leo, and the way he had acted around Will.

It made her double guess herself, because she had thought Nico was in love with Will, or at least liked him to some extent; but the smile that stays almost stubbornly on his lips, the soft edge to his eyes, the almost laughter when Leo does something particularly Leo-ish. No one with eyes would have doubted them to be together, not with how easily they fell into each other's side.

To know Nico wasn't faking really didn't surprise her, she knew her brother very well after all; but that left Leo. Was the way he acted around Nico fake? She had a bit of a hard time believing it, but Leo had always been good at acting, sometimes too good for his own good.

Nico had asked her not to do anything, claiming he would solve it once the vacation was over, and she had agreed because she knew firsthand how their step-mom could be when it came to who they dated. She bit her lip as she watched Leo leaning back into the chair he was sitting at, laughing at something Trinidad says, noticing the way Nico is eying him with a soft look Hazel is more used to have directed at her; but then… then Trinidad says something to Nico, and she watches as Leo shifts so he can look at him without craning his neck, and when Nico does the scrunch-y nose thing he does when confused, she watches Leo tap his fingers against the side of the chair.

It's perhaps a bit of a reach, after all Leo does tend to use the pattern pretty frequently, but Hazel has hope; she has the realization that she thinks they'd be really good for each other, and she maybe wants to see it happen. She'll just have to have a conversation with her childhood friend


	8. Pinning

Ok, let's do this. The second half is exactly as it was before, because it felt right.

* * *

8\. Pinning

How long has it been, really?

He doesn't remember it starting, not exactly, but maybe he's focusing too much on what his other experiences were like. He's still a little surprised with himself, at how closely he paid _him_ attention, at how close they've gotten without noticing, at how easily he's fallen to his role.

Leo spent most of the night thinking about it, and thinking about the kiss; he'd been right that it would backfire on him, the whole sign thing, but he also would've hated to spring that on Nico without warning.

It was a lie, and yet it wasn't; Leo had, truly, wanted to kiss Nico right then, so much so that he almost just… but he turned it into a lie in the last second. There was more to it than just Leo being overly aware of Nico's boundaries; no, Leo had been scared.

Scared of rejection, or ruining things, of giving too much away, because he…

"I'm crazy about him, Jesus Christ"

"Who? Nico?"

Leo whirls, panic rising to his throat for a whole second, before his eyes settle on Hazel; and maybe that's worse, but at least he hasn't fucked up the whole fake dating spiel.

"You scared me half to dead Haze"

She scrunches her nose at him, as she does; he's never managed to derail her properly, which is usually something he adores in her, but can often be a little annoying, like right now.

"You're not avoiding this"

Leo decides to be honest, because why the fuck not?

"Yeah, ok, I have what's probably a massive crush on your brother"

She smiles then, plopping herself at the feet of the bed, Leo joins her thanking everything holy that Nico was swooshed away for last minute shopping by Lethe.

"Since when?"

Leo shrugs.

"Apparently since I first saw him"

Hazel frowns again; only Leo has decided that he might as well get her help with this conundrum.

"But you dated Calypso?"

Leo takes a breath, because he's yet to tell anyone about what really happened between them, but he trusts Hazel fully, and so he begins. He explains, firstly, that Calypso and him had problems communicating what they needed with the other, one needing almost constant reminders that the other person was still there, and the other needing time to recharge; and maybe that should've given away the fact that it wasn't working, realizing he needed time away from her.

Then, he talks about the visits, about the routine he created around them, and how they only helped make things worse; he had thought Calypso was ok with it, and she had really seemed to be at the start, but the frequency increased and her attitude changed.

"When we finally broke up she brought up how I 'spent too much time with people who aren't even your friends Leo', her words"

Hazel blinks once, twice, thrice; Leo thinks that's a fair reaction. He shrugs again, because really, he doesn't really know what to make of that either.

"I think I just liked that she liked me back"

Hazel nods, understanding, because she's been with Leo through most of his life, and knows plenty about his misfortune with love.

"It might sound mean, but I'm really glad you were there for Nico"

Leo smiles to himself.

"Yeah, me too"

-. - .- / - ... . -.- / -... - - ... / .-. .. -. -. .. -. -.

Nico is rapidly reaching his limit of human interaction, when Lethe decides to pull him into an antique shop, because that's clearly the best place to find a gift for Nico's father; no, it really, actually, is. He somehow manages to free himself of her grip just in time to see it.

Laying on a table is a pile of gears, springs, nuts, and some other related things Nico doesn't know the name of but recognizes from Leo's workbench; he realizes it's a mechanism for something, as there's only one prize tag in the table.

He thinks about Leo, spending his breaks doing work because he wants to use his hands on a machine and there isn't much other than the cars, despite the fact that the shop claims to be all purpose. He thinks about Leo working on whatever this is instead, eyes bright like that one-time Will's dad asked him to fix an old music box; and feels himself flush at being the one to cause that look.

He shakes his head, makes about seven steps away, stops in his tracks, turns to look, bites his lips as he turns again harshly, closes fists and eyes tightly, lets out a loud groan, and goes to the counter. He must make a noise of some sort because the clerk behind it raises their eyes from the newspaper they're holding and locks them with Nico before smiling.

"Ah, afternoon young man, how may I help you?"

Nico swallows, one last hesitation that gets quickly resolved, because Nico may be embarrassed about Leo opening such a gift in front of his family, but he's also fantasizing about the look on the Latino's face when he sees the gift.

"I wanted to buy the contents of one of your tables for a gift"

The clerk's smile's widens and they stand up, crossing to where Nico is via a lift-able panel in the counter.

"Let's see it then"

So Nico guides the clerk to the mechanism, and waits while they carefully pick all the pieces into a piece of cloth, then follows after them back to the counter where the clerk pulls out a box and cushions it properly, placing bits and pieces of the mechanism in between rows of an older newspaper.

"You are very lucky, I happened to find the missing part of this piece earlier today"

As they say this, they finish up the pieces that had been on the table and pull out a round-looking object tightly wrapped in brown paper and placing it inside before putting the last bit of newspaper and closing the box; then, he puts the box into a bag which he hands over to Nico, who hands him the exact amount of money and grabs it carefully before going to look for his cousin.


	9. Difference

Despite being the same age as Nico, Leo was held back a year and ended up in the same grade as Hazel, friendship blossomed.

I left the first half as was, because 'Results May Vary' has Nico's POV of the same scene; so now you can play spot the difference ;)

* * *

9\. Difference

It's late in the afternoon, Leo is working on Thalia's motorbike for a much lower price than normal because Jason pulled a favor on him; and also because he's low-key terrified of her, but in a different way to how he's terrified of Reyna. He feels more than he sees Nico there with him, somehow attuned to the other's presence, most likely due to how silent the Italian generally is; it isn't until he moves to the next part that he realizes this is a dream because no other does the chromed metal lack his reflection, he can't seem to name it.

"He's overwhelming"

There's something to be said about Leo here, because he creates the illusion of Nico's voice with perfect accuracy; even if this is also a memory, because Leo knows what happened before and what'll happen next.

"Or maybe it's me"

"What, you're not 'whelming' enough?"

It's his voice, but he isn't the one speaking, as he's now seeing this from a third person point of view, which is odd; but it's a dream, so he doesn't question it. Dream Nico doesn't call him out on the joke, because Leo realizes it wasn't one, not really; because at some point Leo stopped pretending around Nico, but he can't remember what caused that.

"Generally you're more neutral in this"

Leo watches dream him shrug with his entire body, hands never abandoning their task.

"I'm just honest, and I really believe this one's on him"

Dreams are weird because he can see the way Nico's face softens as his shoulders lose tension, despite the fact that he couldn't have seen that back when it happened.

"Right"

Dream Leo finally stops what he's doing turning to look at dream Nico with a resolute expression.

"You can home with me if you need more time, but I have to close soon"

And dream Nico nods as expected, only now Leo gets to see how relieved he looks at his words. He wakes up with a difficult feeling in his throat to see Nico at his side.

The difference between this Nico and the one from his memory-dream is jarring, in the way that it makes Leo realize how bad the Italian had been back then. He remembers Will had tried to get Nico healthier, and to anyone who didn't know better he succeeded, but Leo did know better, and despite the gained weight and more fitting tan, there had been something wrong; a sort of heaviness to Nico.

Leo had felt an odd combination of relief and something akin to longing, when Nico started visiting the shop less and less, until the whole fake relationship thing happened, and now here they were.

-.-. - -. - . -..- - / -.-. ... .- -. -. . ... / - ... .. -. -. ...

Persephone couldn't help but compare Leo to Will now, though she was perhaps a bit biased about it; after all, she had always thought Will and Nico's relationship wouldn't last. She had to admit though, that they did last longer than expected; but the point still stood.

It wasn't that she disliked Will, he seemed like a good boy, with an artistic soul, he'd even been charming sometimes, and clearly very into Nico; and she was beyond grateful for his help getting Nico healthy again. But she got this bad feeling every time she saw him interacting with her boy, and now, she could finally put a name to it.

Because the way Nico looked now spoke volumes, he clearly trusted Leo, enough that he nearly didn't hesitate to lean closer, and there was that word. It was a little worrying, knowing what the problem really was, because it raised a whole line of possibilities she would rather not think about; but it made all the sense in the world, Persephone hadn't trusted Will, not one bit, because Nico hadn't either.

She was beyond glad, that Nico had managed to get himself away from that, even if it meant not seeing him for nearly two years; and she was glad there had been someone there for him. She could see it in the way Leo looked at Nico, the kind of look she'd seen on Pyra and Styx, when they broke the news of their engagement, and on her own husband.

And when Leo looked away, it was Nico's turn, and Persephone realized a few things; the trust they had on the other went both ways, the ease with which they fell into place was carefully outlined, and despite seeming so sure of their relationship, they had yet to talk about how much they really felt. To her, it was obvious that they felt something much stronger than simple attraction; but it wasn't her place to hurry things up, just like it hadn't been her place to meddle before.

She did hope things would work out for them, because it was clear they cared plenty for each other, and she would hate to see that break.


	10. Encounter

As a character, I like Will plenty, as a name, I dislike it very much on principle. I spent way too long worrying on what kind of greeting Leo would go for, bc it was important, before I just gave up.

Extremely minor changes.

* * *

10\. Encounter

Nico only has to worry so much about his family finding him out by now, which is of course when someone new gets thrown up in the mix; it happens because Styx and Karen joined forces in order to get all the 'younger folks' out to the town in order to get the last few things needed to prepare for the celebration, and Nico forgot how close his home is to certain people he hadn't the courage to face. So of course he bumps into Will Solace, because fate hates Nico.

After their break-up, Nico spent a lot of time considering their relationship, and why exactly it had fallen apart; he hadn't been attracted to Will immediately, not until much later, and even then, what he'd fallen for weren't Will's looks. Not to say Will wasn't handsome, Nico had enjoyed being able to just look at him; but his looks had no involvement on why Nico had started dating him, or why he stopped.

It wasn't that Will was a bad person, or that Nico resented him or anything, just that they were on very different pages about how the relationship would work; and though Nico had tried to abide to Will's standards, with Leo's guidance, it got to a point where he was the only one putting any effort. Their break-up felt inevitable, even as Nico waited on Will to have the talk, and it wasn't all that bad; a bit loud maybe, but if he'd gotten over it then surely Will had done the same.

The worst part was that, had the situation been any different, Nico wouldn't have minded bumping into Will; but it became a problem now, because the blond was the most likely to see right through their farce. He felt a hand brush against his once before it was taken into an incredibly warm hold, he looks to his side and finds Leo giving him his best reassuring smile before squeezing Nico's hand.

It feels like he's been set alight, and he has to repress a shiver, but he still appreciates the gesture for what it is; reassurance and support. He's glad it's Leo at his side, even with all the conflicting feelings, because he's the only person outside of the relationship that knows what actually happened.

Will crosses the distance between them, eyes glancing at their joined hands before raising an eyebrow, and Nico feels anger coil at his chest at the look in his ex's face.

"Hi Nico, finally visiting for the holydays? Didn't see you last year"

Nico is perfectly familiar with the tone Will uses, and that's definitely what makes him say the next words.

"I spent them with my boyfriend"

It's not a lie per se, Nico has a lukewarm feeling when remembering the time he spent with Leo, getting rid of all bad memories tied to his apartment, with Leo hanging around, mostly fixing things and annoying Nico into confessing what songs he does and doesn't like; and it's wild that it's taken him this long to realize he's in love with Leo, because if he hadn't been back then, he would've murdered him. Will gives Leo the side eyes, and Nico really wants to punch him, which is a new emotion concerning Will Solace.

"Valdez"

To his credit, Leo responds to it in the best way possible.

"Solace, how's medicine treating you?"

Will seems taken aback, and Nico has to stifle a laugh at the familiar ability Leo had to derail people. Will does eventually recover, something cocky in him, and that's also a new thing.

"Going great actually, how's the job?"

It's a poor attempt at a comeback but enough for Nico to make sense of what's happening; not only does Will not realize he's being lied to, he believes them enough that he's jealous of Leo, and Nico has to try really hard not to let that get his hopes up. Because, on the one hand, that means their ruse is working spectacularly, and on the other… what does it say about them that the person who's supposed to know how Nico acts when romantically invested, believes their ruse? What are they doing?

He realizes he's tuned out the conversation, more focused on how Will acts towards Leo now as opposed to how they acted before, the sparse times they did interact; somehow he kept the two separate from each other despite never having done that with his other maybe-friends. It probably says a lot about his feelings towards the mechanic.

.- / ..-. . .- / - .. -. - .-. / -.-. ... .- -. -. . ...

Will thinks he's somewhat justified in spying on his ex and his new boyfriend, if only because that new boyfriend is Leo Valdez. It wasn't that Will had it out for Leo, but rather that, to his understanding, Leo and Nico barely interacted.

Sure, Leo was Hazel's childhood friend, and therefore knew Nico for longer than anyone else in the group; and Nico liked him well enough to trust him when it came to Hazel, but they didn't spend much time together as a duo. That meant that Will hadn't had seen much of the Latino outside group hang-outs, so Will was curious on how the two ended up together.

He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but the way Leo joked around while Nico smiled in calm amusement, was not it. The clearly comfortable interactions, like they knew the exact way the other ticked, like being together was only natural; two years could change a lot, but this was too much.

The way they acted made it seem like something older than two years, something built over trust, something relaxed. And Will understood a lot then, because Nico had a knack for finding ways of avoiding him, and it made sense that he'd run to Leo, because Will wouldn't have even thought of looking; and because Nico's disappearances increased slowly but surely, but he'd always come back with an apology and the will to actually try, until the day he hadn't.

It wasn't a bad break-up, not really, but it had still hurt, and that hurt had been avidly voiced; but it had been a two-way street, and held an unchangeable sense finality. But people couldn't go from 0 to 100, and eventually Will realized that the break-up was only bound to happen; and Leo probably did too, though earlier than him, and had tried his best to slow Nico down.

It was the first time Will acknowledged that Leo Valdez had seen firsthand what that looked like, that the Latino could see it before him because to him the signs were blaringly familiar; because Leo had actually met Bianca.


	11. Experience

There's a difference between how Nico, Will, and Leo viewed the break up; and it is important that you understand all three sides.

I don't believe anything important changed here.

* * *

11\. Experience

As someone who watched Hazel fall for Frank, witnessed Thalia realize she was not into males, and had a front-row seat to the Khione mess; Leo knew plenty about jealousy. So imagine his surprised when Will Solace, who has actually been in a real relationship with Nico, is acting jealous of him.

It's wild, because while Leo is very much attracted to Nico, what he has with the Italian is made up bullshit built shakily upon a weird - though extremely treasured - friendship. It also makes Leo feel oddly… proud is not exactly the word for it, but something of the sort; and that's kind of fucked up.

Leo also comes to the astounding realization that he was never jealous of Will, or at least not in the usual way, because back then, he had really thought the blonde was good for Nico; granted, they all had thought that. But the only real negative emotion Leo felt towards Will came later, when the frequency of Nico's visits increased, when he saw firsthand just how unsafe Nico felt.

Nico had forgiven Will for overstepping boundary after boundary, ones that had seemed understandable, which is why Leo had talked him into doing so in the first place, but then there was something new to change every day, Will's wants building up and up; and Nico refused to confront him about it, about how it hurt him, until their relationship crumbled unsurprisingly.

Leo had been there for the fallout, to help Nico rid himself of the aftertaste, while keeping an eye on the Italian; he'd been a little worried that it would have a bad effect on him, but he was mostly glad Nico ended it, if only for how relieved he looked. He squeezed Nico's hand again for a second before softening his grip, ready to let go at the first sign of discomfort.

"It was nice seeing you again Will, but the girls will make a whole scene if we don't hurry back"

He saw Nico make a face, and smiled turning to him.

"Remember when Hazel brought Frank for the first time?"

He watches as Nico's face flushes and he groans, and he gets a proper hold on Leo's hand.

"Bye Will"

And then he starts dragging Leo back to the group, as the mechanic throws a wave at Will before matching his step, amused grin pulling at his lips.

\- ... . .-. . .-. ... / - - .-. . / -.. .- ... ... . ... / .. -. / -.. - - / - ... .- -. / .. -. / -.. .- ... ...

Sometimes, Frank forgets that Leo and Nico are pretending and thinks them good actors when it comes back to him, only to remember that Hazel told him they are both actually into each other, and then things get complicated. See, Frank wants his girlfriend happy, he also wants his friends happy, and after all this time he considers both Leo and Nico to be friends; so he's a lot conflicted over the situation.

The problem is that Frank's pretty sure things wouldn't be complicated if Leo and Nico were aware of the other liking them, but Frank's been sworn to secrecy, which is a little confusing because he would've loved to have someone tell him Hazel actually liked him back when it was still only a crush; but oh well.

Since he can't simply tell them, Frank has opted for the safer option of sitting this one out, because even though he'll never say it out loud, he's still terrified of Nico and Leo from the time he was starting to date Hazel. Would Hazel be like that with Leo? Maybe Reyna would do it instead since she's practically adopted Nico; and who would give Nico the shovel talk for Leo's sake? Jason? Nah, probably Pipper.

Frank also realizes he hasn't seen Nico do the whole sarcastic commentary thing in a while, it had become somewhat common when he and Will had started dating, but stopped at some point to be replaced by a silent smile, or what looked like one; now it was back with a vengeance and only encouraged by Leo, who clearly found it not only funny but also endearing. Frank doesn't really get it, but he's not gonna judge.

He does, however, listen patiently as Hazel complains about her brother being oblivious and Leo being a coward, because the Latino likes to use that one Morse line that seems engraved into his muscle memory whenever Nico does something 'cute'; Frank noticed too, but Leo used the code for 'I love you' a lot, so he's sure both Leo and Nico don't actually realize it happens. He does not say this to Hazel, because he's sure she already knows, and understands that her frustration comes from a different place; it's just easier to complain about the Morse thing.


	12. Fondness

Do you ever get like weird waves of specific nostalgia? Because I do.

Hazel only starts joining the annual visit to Bianca's grave when she's old enough to understand what happened.

There are a few changes, considering the new context.

* * *

12\. Fondness

Every year, on the 24th of December, Hades and Nico would visit Bianca's grave, over time Persephone and Hazel joined; Leo had joined a few times too, mostly standing at a respectful distance, giving Nico's step-mom the excuse to stand aside as well, and Nico had though it was because neither of them understood once upon a time. He knows better now, of course.

Leo doesn't like talking about the accident that caused his mother's death, or the years that followed before he was taken in by his father's family; but Nico still knows about it, maybe more than anyone else. So when Leo took him to her grave last year, he'd felt honored; amongst other things. When he said that Bianca and Esperanza would probably become fast ghost friends, something light had settled inside his chest; he had run from it back then.

Now Leo made a point of asking Nico beforehand if he preferred him to step aside during the visit, so he accepted by reminding him of it; it was a little embarrassing, but the way Leo's entire face lit up was more than worth it. He felt momentarily weightless, at the smile that painted Leo's lips; something gentle, and genuine, and private.

They faced the grave together, hands held solidly, fingers tapping a single line of Morse against knuckles. There's no words said, not out loud at least; but the tapping stops and is replaced by a gentle brush of a thumb, and warmth fills his being.

They don't let go of each other, not when they leave the cemetery, nor when they get in the car to drive back; not until they sit down for dinner and have to use their hands for silverware. Leo offers his arms when they go to sleep, no one there to fool, and Nico takes the offer with both hands, greedily drinking in the feeling of safety and warmth.

\- ... . -.- / -.-. ..- -.. -.. .-.. . / .- -. -.. / .. - .-. ... / -.-. ..- - .

Christmas was a weird time for Leo, because he hadn't celebrated it at all since the fire and until last year when Nico stayed in the city, and that had consisted on watching non-Christmas related movies while eating an unhealthy combination of Christmas-only flavors; which had been both really nice and the worst decision. And he knows Nico isn't all that fond of the holyday, but likes the opportunity it gives him to spend time with his family; and Leo can't bring himself to question that logic.

So he thinks he's justifiably surprised when there are two gifts for him, like, he was expecting one of them because Hazel is a softie and gets Leo gifts every year from her and Frank; the second surprises him because everyone else he knows to do gift-giving will only pass their gifts to him when they all get together for New Year's. He thinks himself mature when he manages to suppress his curiosity until everyone else in the household is awake, which makes Nico chuckle but agree that it is very much an accomplishment, when the other finally wakes up that is.

When everyone sits down, Leo comes to the sudden realization that he has no idea what the family surname is because both Hazel and Nico use their mother's surnames, and spends most of the time zoned off running mental circles and trying to remember if he's ever seen Hades' surname even once.

As he spirals down into questioning if Nico and Hazel's dad is even human - he's thinking maybe vampire or the actual Greek god he shares a name with -, the two gifts with his name on them are pushed into his arms, he opens the smallest one to a brand new set of tools, which tells him Frank actually paid attention when he complained about needing to replace his old ones that one time they had to wait for everyone else in the café; it gives him a really nice feeling, as does the holyday card with Hazel's careful handwriting, and then he moves to the next. The second gift is in an actual box, Leo's name written atop in a handwriting he recognizes only slightly, which is no help when he's known most of the people around him for such a long time; he's careful unwrapping, fingers shaking with anticipation, and what he sees leaves him breathless.

Now, the shop he worked on rarely if ever saw anything other than vehicles, because people tended to think that's all they did; Leo couldn't really blame them. However, there were a choice few who did know they did anything mechanical, and those brought old time-y stuff over; so while he had never worked on one, Leo knew very well what the various parts inside this box would shape. He feels eyes on him, and finds Nico looking sheepish, and he's overcome with a rush of feeling; and his mind was made.

He was going to wait until they were back, but then he ran the chance of having their mutual friends keeping them apart, and he couldn't hold back any longer; so here would have to do. Now all Leo needed was a plan to get Nico away from his family so that they could talk without it blowing up their cover.


	13. Resolution

So, we've gotten here, let's try this one last time.

Is this ok?

* * *

13\. Resolution

Nico wouldn't know what reaction exactly he had expected Leo to make, but it most definitely fell short to the way the mechanic's face shifted as his eyes lit up just so that Nico could tell he was already piecing the mechanism in his head.

Leo smiles like the pause between setting up a prank and its execution, uncontrollable and electric with anticipation, like trouble; and Nico kind of really wanted to kiss that smile, which was, an entire concept, because he's slowly realizing it's not the first time he's had that thought.

Nico's been doing some remembering, for the sake of making sense of the amount of emotion that rises in him now, whenever he's close to Leo. He remembers back in school everyone said Leo looked impish, Nico half-disagreed, sure he was on the short side, and trouble followed where he went, but he only thought Leo to be fae-like; like, put a pair of wings on him, and clean his face, you get yourself something out of a folk book.

Point is, Nico has thought Leo pretty practically since day one, but it takes nearly 20 years and one single snow fight for that to register; which is, an entire thought process. Because it makes a thousand and one 'what-ifs' pop out in his head; but then, it's probably for the best that it's taken this long.

It's not a new feeling though, he's always cared about Leo to some extent, but the sheer strength of it now lingers in that fine line between wonderful and dangerous; and if Nico's honest with himself, something he has not felt since the Percy ordeal.

Nico sort of hated thinking about that time period, or talking about it for that matter, but he recognizes the intensity of his feelings, and he's… surprisingly ok with it, with feeling so much, if only because it's Leo. Leo who never pushes him, who got into the habit of asking softly if Nico wanted silence, and upon hearing a no would ramble about nothing for hours until he felt human enough to answer, or who would resume his work quietly and carefully until Nico's ears stopped ringing and words left his mouth.

So maybe his heart staggers and beats slightly faster when Leo asks him to go to the lake, and maybe there's color in his face that has nothing to do with the room's temperature, and maybe he stutters his way through an affirmative; he feels strangely happy, strangely accomplished, and strangely hopeful.

.. / ... - .-. . / -.- - ..- / .-.. .. -.- . -.. / - ... .- -

Leo may or may not be reeling, his brain hasn't really decided yet, which is an entire experience; and he's not sure if the familiarity of it is good. The last thing this happened was with _her_ , and Leo had been trying to make sense of that since first realizing for just how long he's liked Nico.

Leo thinks he loved _her_ , or at least felt something akin to what others describe as love; a description that would make Pipper proud where she to hear him. But then it felt of, like a cold feeling in the low of his back that overtook his whole body, he tried to ignore it, ignore how his feelings seemed to just fade, but then there was the fight.

Blaming Nico for his last breakup would be stupid, it wasn't his fault that Leo decided to spend countless hours in the shop, he just happened to choose that same place as his safe heaven, and it wasn't his fault that Leo had a loose tongue and ended up talking about their little meetings of sorts. Maybe Leo was bad at being subtle, maybe _she_ had noticed from the start and panicked when he started talking a little too fondly of someone else, maybe _she_ had been right to accuse him of choosing Nico over _her_ ; because in a way he had.

Leo didn't know why he stopped loving Calypso, couldn't pin point anything to be the cause, and that was scary, because what did it say about him? And he's terrified that it'll happen again with Nico, but he's still doing this, because it feels like he'll implode if he doesn't.

Maybe it'll be different, because now that he's accepted his feelings, he can't remember a time where he hadn't been… focused on Nico. He doesn't know, and he should be scared, and he is, but he's also burning with a sort of resolve that won't break.

There's no green in the lake, overtaken by the whites and grey-ish blues of winter, the water frozen still, and their breaths coming in clouds; yet he feels impossibly hot. Brown meets onyx, and for that instant, the world slows down to a kinder pacing.

-.-. - ..- .-.. -.. -. .-. - / -.-. ... .- -. -. . / .. -

"I need to say a lot, so uhm… if you could just-"

He makes a gesture with his hand, Nico nods but his hands tremble they're hidden in his pockets.

"I don't know how to start, or how you'll take this, or even if I can declare something when the last time fell the way it did, and really-"

Leo starts actually moving as he speaks, under Nico's confused and worried gaze.

"It sucks, because I've been holding it for so long, just ignored it, like an absolute fool, and I don't even have a good excuse, or even a bad excuse; there's literally no excuse!"

It feels as though the world comes into focus with each word, like untangling a particularly tight knot, and then.

"I'm not making sense, am I?"

Nico smiles, because in a weird way he is, but at the same time…

"Not really no"

Leo chuckles.

"Figures, I had a plan too, you know, but no; I had to go for the long winded rant instead of just telling you what I really meant, or at least complimenting you, or…"

He doesn't stop, spilling all that had built inside him like a broken dam; and Nico's expression shifts as he does, until he's breaching the space between them and Leo stops and breaks.

"I just want it to be real, I want us to be real, I-"

Nico cups Leo's face in his hands, causing the brunet's breath to hitch.

"Wha-"

Nico brushes his thumb across Leo's cheek.

"I really want to kiss you"

Leo blushes, a small smile forming tentatively on his lips.

"Oh... I'd like that"

Nico laughs and Leo preens at the sound, and then the little distance still between them disappears. And the world goes back to normal speed, while their hearts seem to beat in tandem.

\- ... . / . -. -..


End file.
